Easy Chinese Recipes. Bee Yinn Low
the hot steam but not too much. I usually leave at least 1-inch (2.5 cm) of gap between the water and the steamed dish, which is propped up on a bowl. After steaming, discard the water from the wok and pat dry with paper towels. Do not leave any traces of water in the wok as it might become rusty.
BOILING I often use my wok to make soup or to boil eggs. It's really convenient and delivers great results. Make sure that you wash off the residue on the wok and pat the wok surface dry to avoid rusting.
BLANCHING When making vegetable dishes such as Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (page 110), wok is a great tool for quick blanching of the vegetables. Add a few drops of oil into the water and bring it to boil. Drop the vegetables into the wok and remove immediately with a strainer or slotted spoon as soon as the vegetables become wilted or cooked.
BRAISING Wok is great for braising, especially meat dishes. Use the wok lid to cover the ingredients in the wok and turn the heat to medium or low to allow the meat to cook through. Perfectly braised meat should be tender and deeply flavorful with bone-in meat falling off the bones.
Seasoning a Cast Iron Wok by Wok Star Eleanor Hoh of www.wokstar.us
This seasoning method is ONLY for a Chinese, round bottom cast iron wok with two cast iron handles (the best for successful wok cooking.) When new, cast iron woks have a gray coating that must be removed. Seasoning is the most important procedure to set up your wok; it prevents the wok from rusting and gives it an overall protection. A simple explanation of “seasoning” means using heat to open the pores of the wok so the oil gets absorbed into the pores. When seasoning is done correctly, the wok will look bronze and black. With frequent use, a coating (patina) will build and becomes a natural “non-stick” surface and will turn pitch black, which is what you want. You need to season your wok only once but it can be “reseasoned” if necessary. (See below under Care and Maintenance of Your Wok.)
In Asia, typically the wok is seasoned with aromatics only on the inside. This requires constant stir-frying to make sure seasoning has occurred all around the wok—this is hard work. I use a much easier two-step process. Simply baking the wok to open the pores makes seasoning the interior much easier!
You need a little time and patience. Open doors and windows and blast the fan to blow out the smoke. Please be careful of grease fires and have a fire extinguisher at the ready. If you are sensitive to smoke, wear a mask and glasses. When washing the wok the first time gray discoloration may occur.
Directions for Seasoning Your Wok
1 Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Have all your tools ready. Wash the inside and outside of the wok, with hot soapy water and a stainless steel scourer (this includes the handles). This is a very important step: Scrub till you stop seeing a gray color in the water but not so hard that it’s bare metal. Dry the wok first by wiping the wok surface with paper towels (the paper towels may look gray after this). Then dry the wok thoroughly over the stovetop using low heat.
2 Open the pores of the wok by heating up all sides as well as the handles. Switch off the heat. Next, put vegetable oil (I use canola in a clear, plastic squeeze bottle) onto a couple of folded paper towels and apply a THIN, even coat to the inside and outside of the wok including the handles. Swish the oil around the wok in a quick motion. Turn the wok upside down on top of a sheet of foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes are up, leave the wok in the oven to cool for about an hour. The wok should be cool to the touch prior to next step. If there’s too much gray when you touch the wok, repeat steps 2 and 3 to ensure your seasoning is correct. Note: Do NOT pour the oil directly into wok or use too much oil, otherwise the oil will bake in sticky globs.
3 Wash the wok out with hot water and a green scrubber and no soap. Dry completely by using the stovetop over low heat. We are now ready to season the inside of the wok. First, chop an onion or a bunch of green onions (scallions) or chives, garlic, or ginger or some combination of these. This last step will help to finish the seasoning with an aromatic fragrance.
4 Do the following steps in quick sequence. Using oven pads:
5 Heat the wok on high heat till you see first wisps of smoke.
6 Immediately squeeze vegetable oil around the sides of the wok, go around 3–4 times so oil drips down sides.
7 Add the aromatics. Use a spatula to push the aromatics up the sides of the wok. You will see the seasoning (bronze color) start immediately.
8 Tip the wok back and forth so all the sides will get some heat.
9 Keep stir-frying until the seasoning (bronze) happens all around the wok, then toss the contents out. Your wok is now ready for your inaugural stir-fry!
Care and Maintenance of your Wok
After using your wok, soak it in hot water (no soap) while you are eating but never for very long because it will begin to rust. Any food particles will lift off easily. Use a sink brush or green scrubber pad to remove any particles. Dry the wok by heating it over the stovetop over low heat. I do not wipe oil on my wok prior to storing because it can become rancid and sticky.
If your wok is looking dry, rub oiled paper towels all around it to restore its finish. Use your wok for cooking everything, not just Asian stir-fry, and the patina will build back up quickly!
If you get a crust on your wok from caramelizing (sugar), scrub it off with a green scrubber. Rub oiled paper towels in the problem area and heat on the stove, this will “reseason” it.
Do NOT put your wok in the dishwasher. The washing agent is too strong and the patina will fade and it will ruin your wok.
Eleanor Hoh is a cooking teacher and has been a cast iron wok advocate and enthusiast for over 20 years.
Understanding Chinese Ingredients
It’s easier than ever to stock a Chinese pantry. With the proliferation of the ethnic sections at local supermarkets, common Chinese ingredients are no longer difficult to find, especially when it comes to items like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. More exotic Chinese ingredients can be purchased online at various Chinese/Asian grocery websites (Resource Guide, page 140). If you live in a small city where there is a concentrated Asian population, it’s very likely that you will find an Asian food store or market that carries a supply of Chinese ingredients. If you live by the coast or near a major city with a Chinatown, (for example: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, or Honolulu) consider yourself lucky because you can get just about any Chinese ingredient at the many markets there. If you are unsure about where to go, just ask your Asian or Chinese friends and I am almost certain that they will point you to a good source. Building a Chinese pantry is both fun and rewarding. Here is the list of the most common Chinese ingredients I use on a daily basis and are used in the recipes of this cookbook.
Bamboo Shoots are the edible young and tender stems of bamboo plants. Bamboo shoots are available either fresh or canned, but canned bamboo shoots are the most easily found and probably safest to use as some fresh bamboo shoots have a strong and unappetizing odor. Canned bamboo shoots are already cooked and come sliced, whole, or in thin strips. I prefer the sliced version so I can use it for stir-fries, and I can cut them into thin strips for Hot and Sour Soup (page 55).
Bok Choy is a common Chinese vegetable that has white stems with green leaves. Bok choy has a mild flavor and the white stems are always crisp. They come in different sizes but the one I love most is baby bok choy, which is about 3-4 inches (7-10 cm) in length. They are very versatile and can be used in stir-fries, soups, or to add texture and color to noodle dishes.
Chicken Bouillon Powder (Chicken Powder) is the secret ingredient used by many Chinese chefs and home cooks. It’s a superior flavoring agent because it’s made with real chicken. I love it as a marinade or as a seasoning. Chicken bouillon powder is also marketed as “chicken powder” or “chicken seasoning powder.” I prefer Knorr brand, which has a no-MSG version.
Chinese Black Vinegar is made of fermented rice, wheat, barley, or sorghum and often labeled as “Chinkiang vinegar.” It’s used as a dipping sauce for dumplings.